Evariste Ndayishimiye, the president of Burundi, declared on Friday that same-sex couples ought to be publicly stoned in a vicious anti-gay tirade.
Additionally, he took aim at Western nations that compel other countries to grant LGBT rights or risk losing their assistance.
In 2009, homosexuality was become a crime in Burundi, an East African nation of conservative Christian beliefs. Consensual same-sex actions can result in sentences of up to two years in jail.
Catholic Ndayishimiye referred to same-sex marriage as a “abominable practice.”
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Personally, I believe that these people should be stoned in a stadium if they are found in Burundi. At a public event shown by Burundian media, Ndayishimiye responded to a question by saying, “And it would not be a sin for those who do.”
He also said, “Let them keep their help, let them keep it,” in response to Western nations pressuring smaller countries to accept homosexual marriage or risk losing their aid.
He continued, saying that Burundians who had left their country and “chosen the devil” by practicing homosexuality need “not to return.”
In many East African nations, homosexuality is prohibited due to a long history of stigmatization and repression against the LGBT community, which is frequently fostered by fundamentalist Christians and Muslims.
The adoption of one of the strictest anti-homosexuality laws in the world by Uganda in May incited indignation among rights organizations and Western nations.
In retaliation, the World Bank halted fresh loans to Uganda and Washington declared it would pull out of a significant trade agreement. It also restricted visas for some officials.
The Ugandan Constitutional Court is now hearing challenges to the legislation.
As part of a crackdown on same-sex partnerships, Burundi accused 24 persons in March of this year with “homosexual practices.”
Ndayishimiye had called on people to eradicate homosexuality and treat gay people as “pariahs,” and this action was taken in response.
Following the passing of President Pierre Nkurunziza in June 2020, Ndayishimiye assumed office. The world community has praised him for gradually bringing an end to the years of Burundi’s isolation caused by the turbulent and brutal administration of his predecessor.
However, he has not been able to improve the abject record on human rights, and the nation, home to 12 million people, continues to rank among the world’s poorest.